Matthew O'Reilly: Humbly Heroic - Medalta International Artists in Residence Exhibit
to
Medalta in the Historic Clay District 713 Medalta Avenue SE, Medicine Hat, Alberta T1A 3K9
Matthew O'Reilly, "Humbly Heroic," 2022
Artist Statement
Working between ceramics and sculpture, my studio practice uses the sculpted figure as a launching pad for conversation about the human condition. I am particularly concerned with asking questions about our collective values through the framework of monuments and public statuary. I employ the grotesque in my armoury of satire in order to rupture the boundaries of what we ‘know’. I do this by dissecting the body into distorted fragments that come back together to solicit curiosity and repulsion. I aim to make reflexive work that pushes, pulls, and complicates dialogues around identity. Ceramics, metal working, readymades, paint and plaster processes are used as sites for intuitive investigation of the body.
Artist Biography
Matthew O’Reilly is an emerging artist from south Ontario. He received his MFA in ceramics at the Alberta University for the Arts in 2020 and he also holds a Honors Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Bachelor of Education, and a Masters in Education with a specialization in social justice from LakeHead University. He is a passionate educator and a formidable maker.
This exhibition is part of the 2022 Medalta International Artists in Residence program.
Google
Yahoo
Outlook
ical